Question:

I once did the Slimfast plan.  I worked wonderful (I had 30 pounds to lose and I lost them all in 2 months) until I started eating real food again.  I was eating low-fat for a while thereafter and then it progressed into the "whatever I want" phase becuase I learned nothing about healthy eating.  So to answer the question "does Slim Fast really work?" I have to agree with Claudia completely.  It works, but only short-term and IMHO, it isn’t worth wasting 2 months of your life for the disappointment of gaining it back so fast.  I’ve been on about 10 different diets in my life (and I’m only 25), and I found the 2 best diets are low-fat (it wasnt for me though, I always felt deprived and/or always ate too much sugar because it was "allowed," bu for others it’s wonderful) and low-carb (which is working FINALLY!!!! for me).  Maybe I dont have any sugar now because it isn’t allowed in the low-carb plan…maybe i’m a sucker for psychology of it not being "allowed" so I don’t eat it, who knows : Wummin~ 205/200/150 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Will slim fast work?  Yes and no.  Yes, if you follow it ridgidly, it will probably work.  Will it promote safe, healthy, pernmanent weight loss, probably not.  In fact, it will no doubt screw your metabolism up.  Most over weight people already have screwy metabolisms, loosing weight is supposed to make us healthier, not sicker.  Slim fast works by dropping your cal intake so low that you lose weight.  However, to your body, you are starving to death.  It thinks you are stuck on a mountainside with no food. So it goes into starvation mode which slows your metabolism way down., in order to delay death as long as possible in the hopes that you’ll be rescued.  Once you go off of slim fast, your body stays in starvation modefor a while, rebuilding depleted fat stores in case you are starving again in the future.  This means you gain weight quickly, regardless of how litle you eat or how much you exercise. While in starvation mode your body is desperate for nutirents.  It can leach your bones of calcium needed to keep your body chemistry in balence, your hair could fall out, you develop dry skin, your core tempeture can go too low (kills you).  The risks are just not worth it.  Especailly since you will more then likely gain all the weight back. — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I think that the pasta for dinner is the problem.  Are you eating late at night because that will effect what you lose as well. Are you eating any vegatables. Try eating a small salad with what ever else you eat. The fiber will help. You know Slim fast is not for everyone. What made you try this dangerous way to lose weight anyway. You know whatever you may lose you are more than likely to gain it back anyway. Try something else all together.

Response:

Will slim fast work?  Yes and no.  Yes, if you follow it ridgidly, it will probably work.  Will it promote safe, healthy, pernmanent weight loss, probably not.  In fact, it will no doubt screw your metabolism up.  Most over weight people already have screwy metabolisms, loosing weight is supposed to make us healthier, not sicker.  Slim fast works by dropping your cal intake so low that you lose weight.  However, to your body, you are starving to death.  It thinks you are stuck on a mountainside with no food. So it goes into starvation mode which slows your metabolism way down., in order to delay death as long as possible in the hopes that you’ll be rescued.  Once you go off of slim fast, your body stays in starvation modefor a while, rebuilding depleted fat stores in case you are starving again in the future.  This means you gain weight quickly, regardless of how litle you eat or how much you exercise. While in starvation mode your body is desperate for nutirents.  It can leach your bones of calcium needed to keep your body chemistry in balence, your hair could fall out, you develop dry skin, your core tempeture can go too low (kills you).  The risks are just not worth it.  Especailly since you will more then likely gain all the weight back. — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I think that the pasta for dinner is the problem.  Are you eating late at night because that will effect what you lose as well. Are you eating any vegatables. Try eating a small salad with what ever else you eat. The fiber will help. You know Slim fast is not for everyone. What made you try this dangerous way to lose weight anyway. You know whatever you may lose you are more than likely to gain it back anyway. Try something else all together.

Response:

I think that the pasta for dinner is the problem.  Are you eating late at night because that will effect what you lose as well. Are you eating any vegatables. Try eating a small salad with what ever else you eat. The fiber will help.  You know Slim fast is not for everyone. What made you try this dangerous way to lose weight anyway. You know whatever you may lose you are more than likely to gain it back anyway. Try something else all together.

Response:

I’ve been using Slim Fast for over a week now and I don’t feel like I’ve lost a pound. I’ve been doing the shake for breakfast, shake for lunch thing just like the instructions say. I’ve been eating an apple as a midafternoon snack and been eating mainly Pasta for dinner. So what should I do?? Am I not eating right?? Am I just not giving it enough time?? Should I try something else??. Please Help. "It still says Marquee on the Wrestling"-Arn Anderson

Response:

to the giant emperor penguin, who stood awaiting an answer, (claudia) said: : Will slim fast work?  Yes and no.  Yes, if you follow it ridgidly, it will : probably work.  Will it promote safe, healthy, pernmanent weight loss, : probably not.  In fact, it will no doubt screw your metabolism up.  Most Also, Slim Fast is designed around a 1200 calorie a day diet (or less). That’s enough for some people, but if you’re active, tall, or muscular you need far more calories than that.  I did slim fast for awhile and just couldn’t stick to it because I *just needed more calories*.  So then not only did I not really lose weight, I also had the psychological badness of feeling like I must be a bad, weak person for having to go off this "diet" all the time.  but it wasn’t lack of willpower, it was survival tactics! Some people like slim fast because they don’t need to think about their food choices.  while I personally think this is the wrong way to approach weight loss, I’m sure there are people who don’t have much weight to lose who really appreciate having their decisions made for them.  but if you’re one of those people, there are better alternatives to the slim fast shake.  powerbars or "Balance" bars, for example, are about the same number of calories and have more nutritional value. cindy 170/149.5/135 318.1 miles & counting…

Response:

Having been on medifast, an optifast type program, I can repate to how wonderful it is not to have to be concerned about what you eat.  But you also arn’t learning how to make wise food choices.  All you do is put off the inevitable.  ANd that inevitable usually means weight gain. — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it!  Low fat rocks! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – to the giant emperor penguin, who stood awaiting an answer, (claudia) said: : Will slim fast work?  Yes and no.  Yes, if you follow it ridgidly, it will : probably work.  Will it promote safe, healthy, pernmanent weight loss, : probably not.  In fact, it will no doubt screw your metabolism up.  Most Also, Slim Fast is designed around a 1200 calorie a day diet (or less). That’s enough for some people, but if you’re active, tall, or muscular you need far more calories than that.  I did slim fast for awhile and just couldn’t stick to it because I *just needed more calories*.  So then not only did I not really lose weight, I also had the psychological badness of feeling like I must be a bad, weak person for having to go off this "diet" all the time.  but it wasn’t lack of willpower, it was survival tactics! Some people like slim fast because they don’t need to think about their food choices.  while I personally think this is the wrong way to approach weight loss, I’m sure there are people who don’t have much weight to lose who really appreciate having their decisions made for them.  but if you’re one of those people, there are better alternatives to the slim fast shake.  powerbars or "Balance" bars, for example, are about the same number of calories and have more nutritional value. cindy 170/149.5/135 318.1 miles & counting…

Response:

Slim fast works. The catch is that in order to maintain your weight lose you have to stay on that plan for the rest of your life because the minute you start eating normal again you will gain the weight back.  But they never tell you things like that on the commercials.  The best way is the slow way, change your eating habits and you will keep the weight off. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I think that the pasta for dinner is the problem.  Are you eating late at night because that will effect what you lose as well. Are you eating any vegatables. Try eating a small salad with what ever else you eat. The fiber will help. You know Slim fast is not for everyone. What made you try this dangerous way to lose weight anyway. You know whatever you may lose you are more than likely to gain it back anyway. Try something else all together.

Response:

you’re one of those people, there are better alternatives to the slim fast shake.  powerbars or "Balance" bars, for example, are about the same number of calories and have more nutritional value.

yes.  (though powerbars are basically just peanut butter with dried milk powder.  balance bars have more protein and less sugar, and possibly less fat.) actually, if you’re considering a mono-food diet, i’d advise eating a slice of whole grain bread with as much tuna fish, non-fat cottage cheese, carrots, and broccoli as you want, two meals a day.  you’d be much better off than either of these, and getting into a habit of eating tuna fish and cottage cheese all the time is just as easy as a habit of slim fast.   if portability is an option, if you buy tuna in the little pop-top containers, you’re still probably saving money over what slimfast would cost.  note that i do not claim that this is a "good" diet, but it’s much better than a slimfast diet. also, keep in mind that sugar tends to work to increase your appetite (which is partly why many typical foods you eat while sick tend to be sweet), so you’ll probably be more satisfied with the less sugary meal-in-a-bar options. janet

Response:

claudia, that takes me back to one of my original questions, when i came how long does it take your body to think your in the starvation mode? does that time change with age? Read and Post Everyday ! Rosie glycemic list: http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm Lowcarb Retreat www.lowcarb.org – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Will slim fast work?  Yes and no.  Yes, if you follow it ridgidly, it will probably work.  Will it promote safe, healthy, pernmanent weight loss, probably not.  In fact, it will no doubt screw your metabolism up.  Most over weight people already have screwy metabolisms, loosing weight is supposed to make us healthier, not sicker.  Slim fast works by dropping your cal intake so low that you lose weight.  However, to your body, you are starving to death.  It thinks you are stuck on a mountainside with no food. So it goes into starvation mode which slows your metabolism way down., in order to delay death as long as possible in the hopes that you’ll be rescued.  Once you go off of slim fast, your body stays in starvation modefor a while, rebuilding depleted fat stores in case you are starving again in the future.  This means you gain weight quickly, regardless of how litle you eat or how much you exercise. While in starvation mode your body is desperate for nutirents.  It can leach your bones of calcium needed to keep your body chemistry in balence, your hair could fall out, you develop dry skin, your core tempeture can go too low (kills you).  The risks are just not worth it.  Especailly since you will more then likely gain all the weight back. — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I think that the pasta for dinner is the problem.  Are you eating late at night because that will effect what you lose as well. Are you eating any vegatables. Try eating a small salad with what ever else you eat. The fiber will help. You know Slim fast is not for everyone. What made you try this dangerous way to lose weight anyway. You know whatever you may lose you are more than likely to gain it back anyway. Try something else all together.

Response:

Yes indeed it is great not to worry about food for three months on the Optifast diet….but the program doesn’t end there.  We then followed a local cal/low fat diet and we were followed weekly for another three months then monthly for six months.  The program is then officially over…but we were encouraged to keep attending the clinic.  Optifast is far more than the shakes….but for someone like me who had 170 lbs to lose…it was a good start. S. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Having been on medifast, an optifast type program, I can repate to how wonderful it is not to have to be concerned about what you eat.  But you also arn’t learning how to make wise food choices.  All you do is put off the inevitable.  ANd that inevitable usually means weight gain. — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it!  Low fat rocks! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter to the giant emperor penguin, who stood awaiting an answer, (claudia) said: : Will slim fast work?  Yes and no.  Yes, if you follow it ridgidly, it will : probably work.  Will it promote safe, healthy, pernmanent weight loss, : probably not.  In fact, it will no doubt screw your metabolism up.  Most Also, Slim Fast is designed around a 1200 calorie a day diet (or less). That’s enough for some people, but if you’re active, tall, or muscular you need far more calories than that.  I did slim fast for awhile and just couldn’t stick to it because I *just needed more calories*.  So then not only did I not really lose weight, I also had the psychological badness of feeling like I must be a bad, weak person for having to go off this "diet" all the time.  but it wasn’t lack of willpower, it was survival tactics! Some people like slim fast because they don’t need to think about their food choices.  while I personally think this is the wrong way to approach weight loss, I’m sure there are people who don’t have much weight to lose who really appreciate having their decisions made for them.  but if you’re one of those people, there are better alternatives to the slim fast shake.  powerbars or "Balance" bars, for example, are about the same number of calories and have more nutritional value. cindy 170/149.5/135 318.1 miles & counting…

Response:

For what it’s worth, I DO believe Slim Fast works, like a lot of other diet programs do.  I agree with others that the problem comes if you return to your former eating habits. As sad as it might seem, I think the only way to maintain the weight loss from a diet plan is to continue dieting forever!   I once knew a woman who told me she used to weigh over 300 lbs. and she lost it with a low-calorie diet plan, and she kept it off for the next 8 years becuase she weighed herself every single day and when she went two pounds over her goal weight, she would diet again. She rationalized that it’s a lot easier to lose 2 lbs, than to wait until it gets to 20 or 50!  This is not advice, just my two cents.  Good Luck! Life is like a coin.  You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.

Response:

Again, my congrats at not only losing the weight, but also keeping it off. I know of maybe 50 + people who did either optifast or medifast and none have kept it off.  You are to be commended:) — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it!  Low fat rocks! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes indeed it is great not to worry about food for three months on the Optifast diet….but the program doesn’t end there.  We then followed a local cal/low fat diet and we were followed weekly for another three months then monthly for six months.  The program is then officially over…but we were encouraged to keep attending the clinic.  Optifast is far more than the shakes….but for someone like me who had 170 lbs to lose…it was a good start. S. Having been on medifast, an optifast type program, I can repate to how wonderful it is not to have to be concerned about what you eat.  But you also arn’t learning how to make wise food choices.  All you do is put off the inevitable.  ANd that inevitable usually means weight gain. — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it!  Low fat rocks! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter to the giant emperor penguin, who stood awaiting an answer, (claudia) said: : Will slim fast work?  Yes and no.  Yes, if you follow it ridgidly, it will : probably work.  Will it promote safe, healthy, pernmanent weight loss, : probably not.  In fact, it will no doubt screw your metabolism up. Most Also, Slim Fast is designed around a 1200 calorie a day diet (or less). That’s enough for some people, but if you’re active, tall, or muscular you need far more calories than that.  I did slim fast for awhile and just couldn’t stick to it because I *just needed more calories*.  So then not only did I not really lose weight, I also had the psychological badness of feeling like I must be a bad, weak person for having to go off this "diet" all the time.  but it wasn’t lack of willpower, it was survival tactics! Some people like slim fast because they don’t need to think about their food choices.  while I personally think this is the wrong way to approach weight loss, I’m sure there are people who don’t have much weight to lose who really appreciate having their decisions made for them.  but if you’re one of those people, there are better alternatives to the slim fast shake.  powerbars or "Balance" bars, for example, are about the same number of calories and have more nutritional value. cindy 170/149.5/135 318.1 miles & counting…

Response:

A question about the metabolism question: If starving lowers your metabolism, would taking thermogenic supplements prevent this?  How about starving in combination with exercise?         (I’m not advocating either; a purely medical question) Thanks!  

Response:

Sounds like your friend wasn’t drinking enough water, either.  Did she go an entire 7 days without a BM? K in Cali

: :My friend used Slim Fast for 1 week and was rushed to the emergency room from :work. : :Her stool was impacted and had to be removed manually by the emergency room :doctor. Slim Fast had blocked up her colon. : :She said it was a pain worse that childbirth.  Thats when I decieded I would :never use Slim Fast.

Response:

how long does it take your body to think your in the starvation mode? does that time change with age?

Rosie,  The only study that I know of shows that the metabolic drop in response to lowered calories occurs at the end of Day 1.  (5%) Further drops occur until about week 3. A severe caloric deficit for only one day is quickly reversable, though.  I don’t know how long it would take to recover from a longer severe caloric deficit, but I do know it took about 6 months to finally recover from 6 weeks on a lowcarb/lowfat/lowcal (Ezrin) plan. hth, Lynne 170 pounds lost the lowcarb way–maintaining since Feb ‘97

Response:

My friend used Slim Fast for 1 week and was rushed to the emergency room from work. Her stool was impacted and had to be removed manually by the emergency room doctor. Slim Fast had blocked up her colon. She said it was a pain worse that childbirth.  Thats when I decieded I would never use Slim Fast.

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I have read that it can occur as quickly as 24 hours with out enough cals or nutrients. Never heard it changes with age.  I would suspect that it is a YMMV thing.  But obviously it would occur rather quickly since it is a protective response.  Does anyone know of any cites where the timeline might be discussed? — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it!  Low fat rocks! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – claudia, that takes me back to one of my original questions, when i came how long does it take your body to think your in the starvation mode? does that time change with age? Read and Post Everyday ! Rosie glycemic list: http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm Lowcarb Retreat www.lowcarb.org Will slim fast work?  Yes and no.  Yes, if you follow it ridgidly, it will probably work.  Will it promote safe, healthy, pernmanent weight loss, probably not.  In fact, it will no doubt screw your metabolism up.  Most over weight people already have screwy metabolisms, loosing weight is supposed to make us healthier, not sicker.  Slim fast works by dropping your cal intake so low that you lose weight.  However, to your body, you are starving to death.  It thinks you are stuck on a mountainside with no food. So it goes into starvation mode which slows your metabolism way down., in order to delay death as long as possible in the hopes that you’ll be rescued.  Once you go off of slim fast, your body stays in starvation modefor a while, rebuilding depleted fat stores in case you are starving again in the future.  This means you gain weight quickly, regardless of how litle you eat or how much you exercise. While in starvation mode your body is desperate for nutirents.  It can leach your bones of calcium needed to keep your body chemistry in balence, your hair could fall out, you develop dry skin, your core tempeture can go too low (kills you).  The risks are just not worth it.  Especailly since you will more then likely gain all the weight back. — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members/cookingnewsletter I think that the pasta for dinner is the problem.  Are you eating late at night because that will effect what you lose as well. Are you eating any vegatables. Try eating a small salad with what ever else you eat. The fiber will help. You know Slim fast is not for everyone. What made you try this dangerous way to lose weight anyway. You know whatever you may lose you are more than likely to gain it back anyway. Try something else all together.

Response:

Any diet that cuts calories and/or fat will work as long as you follow it, but you *have* to follow it carefully.

I agree with this in principle.  However, I was averaging far fewer calories daily last June than I have been averaging daily for the past 2 1/2 months.  I’m eating more fat than I was last June too. In other words, you have to get focused on dieting, learn what you can and cannot eat, how much you can eat (portions) and how much exercise you must do.

And that’s exactly the key.  No diet, no WOE, no exercise will work long-term unless you’re focused and/or know your shi*t. I lived in France for over a year and just gave in to eating their wonderful food.

<<snip Ahhh….I would love to visit France on a low-carb diet!  What a treat! I’m not so much into bread, croissants, and pastries.  But the poultry, pates, sauces, cheese, and wine?  Oh, my. <<snip Lost the 44 pounds in 2 1/2 months.  BECAUSE I stayed totally focused on doing the diet exactly as above.

I have more weight to lose than you did.  In the amount of time it would take me to lose weight on Slim Fast (even if I was losing at a VERY fast rate), my focus would definitely blur. It’s impossible for me to know if I’d gain back weight once I lost it on Slim Fast.  I tend to think I would. The one thing about stuff like slimfast (there are other versions in health food stores) is that you need to be careful about its ingredients.  For example, if you are a diabetic, it has too much sugar.

Good reminder. Jen 198/173/123

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No and NO.  Exercising and starving only makes it worse.  By exercising you are burning more cals therefore you need more so you make starvation mode worse.  Taking the stack while starving will royally screw up your metabolism, (If you haven’t screwed it up enough by starving:)  which again will make it worse not better. — claudia 550/405/157  A malcontent and proud of it!  Low fat rocks! For Claudia’s Cooking Newsletter celebrating low fat, sugar free cooking and living visit http://cookingnewsletter.rockin.net/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – A question about the metabolism question: If starving lowers your metabolism, would taking thermogenic supplements prevent this?  How about starving in combination with exercise? (I’m not advocating either; a purely medical question) Thanks!

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: :A question about the metabolism question: : :If starving lowers your metabolism, would taking thermogenic supplements :prevent this? Depends. How about starving in combination with exercise?

Think for a minute.  How do you think sufferers of anorexia nervosa get so skinny? :( I’m not advocating either; a purely medical question) :Thanks! Good, don’t starve yourself to be thin. K in Cali~Stacking Atkid~Original Malcontent 234/175/127 since 14 JAN 1998 LC webpage: http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/LowcarbingDream From an actual employee evaluation: "When she opens her mouth, it seems that this is only to change whichever foot was previously in there."

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Any diet that cuts calories and/or fat will work as long as you follow it, but you *have* to follow it carefully.  In other words, you have to get focused on dieting, learn what you can and cannot eat, how much you can eat (portions) and how much exercise you must do. I lived in France for over a year and just gave in to eating their wonderful food.  When I came back to the U.S. I was 44 pounds over my healthy weight and did SlimFast.  2 a day, no snacks other than things like celery and chunks of iceberg lettuce, without any dressings, and a supper of broiled chicken breast, no skin, and two cups of cooked veggies (1 dark green, 1 carbo.)  Nothing else, except 8 full glasses of water every day, and that means real water, not tea, cokes, oj, milk, etc.  And a 1 hour’s steady but not really fast walk every day.  Lost the 44 pounds in 2 1/2 months.  BECAUSE I stayed totally focused on doing the diet exactly as above. The one thing about stuff like slimfast (there are other versions in health food stores) is that you need to be careful about its ingredients.  For example, if you are a diabetic, it has too much sugar.  

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